a school floor says it's OK to talk back to a teacher - no one cares. Overlooked in the focus on old-school discipline, says Toll, is the fact that high achievement cannot happen without it, and vice versa. The ultimate goal is a ticket o college and a better life, not just an orderly classroom. "You could have a really rigorous program, really high expectations, great materials," she says, "but if the kids are out of control, they don't buy in." Every day, in every classroom, one can sense the urgency of learning. The lessons are crisp and fast-paced, with high partici- pation and a routine structure. Each class begins with five "quick questions" that review the previous day's lesson, continues by introducing new materials and ends with another review. In addition to nightly reading assignments, homework is required every evening - covering only a topic that the teacher is certain the class has absorbed and can do without the help of parents, a fact that also boosts students' confidence in their learning abilities. And Amistad's school day is longer, running from 7: 30 a.m. to 4 p.m. But central to the whole curriculum is Amistad's interim assessments, progressively comprehensive tests given every six weeks that measure what concepts the students are grasping, and what they still need to learn, all with an eye toward the Con- necticut Mastery Test. Teachers use the results to tailor their lesson plans, both for the class as a whole and for individual stu- dents, to help prepare them for the CMT. And in turn, that preparation holds lasting effects on students' study habits, time man- agement and personal ambition - benefits that show in the more than 40 full schol- arships Amistad students have received to private high schools throughout New England, including one of the most presti- gious in the country, Choate Rosemary Hall. "It's not just about high CMT scores," Toll says. "They prove something, but it's about getting these kids to college, on a different path in life. And if we just let hem go ..."

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